Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth is a fairly unique experience. While some may take issue with the slow pace and dour subject matter, it’s already a journey filled with beautiful moments when the visuals, music, and narration come together to create some truly affecting moments. With no knowledge of the source material it’s too early to tell if the story will end up with worthwhile payoff in the two installments to come, but to me the first is engaging enough to warrant the time and attention of anyone looking for a tonal change of pace.